Opeongo Line
From Freepedia
The Opeongo Line was a one of a series of settlement roads planned by the Canadian government in the 1850s to encourage development of northeastern Ontario. The men who worked on the road were granted 100 acres (0.4 km²) of land in the region. However, this area had a thin layer of soil over the hard rocks of the Canadian Shield and a short growing season, so it was not very suitable for farming.
The Opeongo was one of "Three Great Lines," or colonization roads, that cut into the Canadian Shield. They were the Addington Road, the Hastings Road and the Ottawa and Opeongo Road (Opeongo, or Ope au wingauk in Algonquian, means “sandy at the narrows”).
The Opeongo Line started at the Ottawa River near Castleford, Ontario and continued west along the Bonnechere and Madawaska Rivers to Whitney, Ontario, a bit short of Opeongo Lake, the planned end-point of the route.
Construction on the road began in 1854, luring settlers to the area. Large stands of white pine also drew workers to the area. However, near the end of the 19th century, the Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway became the most important transportation route through this region. Sections of the old winding road remain in use today. Some of the communities which sprang up during the construction of the road, such as Barry's Bay and Wilno, remain today. Others, such as Balaclava and Esmonde, have become ghost towns.
Additional reading
- Standing legacy: Ghost towns preserve the Ottawa Valley’s rich history. Photography by Paul Politisand text by Tobi McIntyre. Canadian Geographic Online.
